This starts off the next morning after the previous chapter. This was never mentioned in the book, but I wanted this scene to occur, and this seemed like the best place for it, following the time line of the book. I hope you like it!
The sun came up much too soon. It had seemed like only minutes ago that Edward and I had begun the night, and now the time for us to tear our bodies away from each other was quickly approaching. We had spent most of the night in silence, trying to block out of the fear and worry and terror so we could make the most of the limited nights we had left together. I knew I should be doing something productive, something which would help when it came to the end, but my body wanted to be selfish. I wanted to be selfish.
I let myself live in an alternate reality, eagerly dragging Edward into our bedroom, crushing his body to mine as I struggled to control the overwhelming passion which consumed me. Edward didn't protest as I threw myself against him, probably much too hard, or when I silenced every word he tried to speak with my lips. I just let my hands run over his face, desperate and forceful, and he did the same to me. Our bodies lay tangled on the bed- I had gained enough to control that we at least made it that far now- when the sun crept higher and higher in the sky, until it reached the point that I knew we couldn't lie here much longer.
Renesmee's gentle snores travelled softly through the walls as we unwillingly tore our bodies apart, rushing into the giant closet. Every perfectly hung garment bag was like a knife in the stomach, an aching reminder of Alice. I would wear every one of those horrendously inappropriate items if it meant I could have Alice home. Trying not to take too much notice of my surroundings, I dressed in an old pair of jeans and a dark jacket, items I had recovered from Charlie's house on one of my visits there with Renesmee. Thinking of Charlie reminded me of a seemly unimportant, but still essential point.
"What are we going to do about Charlie?" I asked Edward, turning around to find him already dressed in black pants and a pale jacket. "He can't come here, but you know he will if we don't make some plans for him to see Renesmee..." Charlie had never gone more than a week without seeing Renesmee. As much as he insisted his reason for visiting was to see me, I knew he was just as hooked by my daughter as the rest of us. Edward thought for a second, taking my hand in a subconscious gesture.
"Maybe it would be best if you pay him a visit before things get too crowded here. I'll try and contact Carlisle and Rosalie and see if we are expecting company anytime this morning. If not, then maybe it would be preferable to see Charlie sooner rather than later," Edward said thoughtfully, pulling Renesmee from her crib, still sleeping peacefully. With Renesmee cradled in one of his arms, and my hand in his, Edward took off through the forest, me tight by his side.
A few seconds before we reached the house there was the distinct drumming of a set of paws behind us, getting closer. Edward and I slowed so Jacob could catch us up, running flat out in his wolf form. Jacob's eyes shot straight to Renesmee, his body visibly relaxing when he saw her. I had learnt not to become offended by such actions. At first I had given him a hard time about being so relieved to see her. What did he think would happen to her in our care? Time had made it easier to understand the situation, and with everything going on right now, imprinting was one of the last things on my mind.
We left Jacob alone to phase, proceeding into the house without slowing down. The guests so far were spread out over the room, some of them reading, others watching TV. It didn't seem like we had missed anything important. Nobody paid any attention as Jacob walked in the door a few minutes later, followed closely by Leah, who looked even more uncomfortable than usual with the added company. Her body twitched as she hovered in the corner, only present because of her responsibility to Jacob. I wondered how much Jacob's pack knew about the coming danger, probably everything. Both packs seemed dedicated to giving up their lives in less than a month.
Jacob reached out for Renesmee, but Edward kept her close against his chest. After a few seconds, Jacob dropped his arms with a sigh, going over to slump down in the corner where Leah awkwardly stood. The other vampires in the room made a point of ignoring the wolves. I got the sense that they didn't quite see them as human the way I did, as people. So long as they didn't see them as a threat, or an enemy, I was fine. I could see from Jacob's face that he was not too comfortable being around so many vampires, but he kept his mouth shut, just glancing at Renesmee every few seconds.
"So when are we expecting the next round? I should probably let Sam know there will be a lot more strangers in the woods soon," Jacob said, his casual tone failing to hide all his worry. I could tell he didn't want to leave Renesmee alone, not with her in such close danger.
"I'm not sure," I replied. "Edward's calling Carlisle now," I heard Edward speaking quickly on the phone in the other room. "If there is no one due to arrive this morning, we were thinking of going to see Charlie, before he decides to come here." Jacob nodded, and I knew he wouldn't be sticking around here if we left. He would probably join us, or run the woods, keeping a look out. I turned around as I heard Edward's footsteps approaching behind me, Renesmee's heartbeat getting louder.
She was awake now, though she didn't make a noise as other infants did when they woke up. Renesmee had her hand pressed Edward's cheek, conversing in her special way. I examined her face carefully as Edward brought her closer to me. She looked serious and understanding, but not scared. At least she was still hidden from the worst reality of our situation. I reached out for Renesmee just as she reached for me, cradling her to my chest. We didn't need words to show our love for each other, just how it had been with Charlie and me.
"Carlisle told us to expect his Irish friends this afternoon. Rosalie and Emmett are still hunting for nomads, so we should be fine visiting Charlie this morning, if that's what you would like to do?" Edward asked.
"We need to go see him before he comes here," I agreed, nodding. Renesmee pressed her hand against my skin, Charlie's face flashing into my mind. She was excited to go see him. Renesmee adored Charlie, who spent hours every visit cooing over her. Obviously my daughter didn't get her love of attention from me.
"Why don't you call Charlie and tell him we will be around in ten minutes or so?" Edward suggested, handing me his small silver phone. I hit the speed-dial and waited impatiently for him to pick up. After ten rings, there was crinkling as the old phone was lifted off the hook.
"Hello?" Charlie said, his voice tired. I hadn't realized it was slightly earlier than the polite time to call. I could imagine my father's face, tired and grumpy, probably woken up by the phone.
"Hey Dad," I said, working on keeping the ring out of my voice. Of course I had slipped up a few times before, so Charlie knew of the bell like tone my voice naturally was, but I did anything to make myself seem less different than before. It was easier for Charlie that way. My father responded quickly, enthusiastically.
"Hey Bells!" He said, his tone immediately uplifted. "Did you want me to come by? I haven't seen Nessie in quite a while you know..." My father's attempt at subtly was useless.
"Actually I was wondering if we could come see you?" I asked, waiting while Charlie took a small pause.
"Sure. Coming to get some of your old clothes back, huh?" he joked. I moved on quickly before he could say anything about Alice, who sometimes accompanied us on these trips. She was still an angel in Charlie's eyes.
"Yeah," I replied. "We'll be there in about ten minutes." I could almost see Charlie's sigh in disapproval. Travelling at the legal police-enforced speed limit, it would take much longer than that to get between our houses. I hung up quickly, handing the phone back to Edward. It seemed he had already made plans with the others to contact us if anything not to plan were to occur. While there were still a low number of visiting vampires in the house- all of them close friends to the Cullen's- Edward seemed comfortable leaving them for the morning.
"I really don't see why we can't take your car, Bella," Jacob complained, trailing along behind us. Ever since I had taken the car out with him for a test drive, Jacob was continuously nagging me to drive it more often. He and Edward had spent a long time talking about all the features of my pretty red vehicle.
"Don't you think it's just a bit too obvious?" I replied, climbing into the front seat with Renesmee on my lap. Jacob clambered, still grumbling, into the back as Edward spun out of the garage. His driving didn't scare me now the way it used to. Anything but running seemed slow to me. Speed seemed to be a vampire thing. It only took us eight minutes to reach Charlie, speeding down the empty Forks streets. Just before we pulled up at Charlie's, I popped in my contacts, resisting the urge to dislodge the objects.
"Hey guys!" Charlie called from the porch as we got out. Jacob waved easily, casual. At least one of us would be able to hold it together for the next few hours.
"I hope you have a proper baby seat for Ness in that car, Bella," Charlie said disapprovingly, noting Renesmee's position on my lap. I smiled sheepishly, rolling my eyes. Charlie didn't look too happy that his daughter wasn't following the recommended safety procedures. Little did he know just how safe she was with us, when driving at least. Because at the end of the month, she wouldn't be safe with us, not with Edward and I. I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat and tried to force a composed expression. Charlie caught the look in my eyes, putting his arm around my shoulders, shivering as he felt the coolness of my skin through my jacket.
"Hey, I was kidding, Bella," He said, worried it was something he had done which set me off.
"I know," I replied. Charlie waited for further explanation. "I'm just not feeling too well." Edward squeezed my hand. Charlie looked beyond worried.
"Do you think your sickness has come back? Will you have to go away again?" Charlie asked, his voice panicking at the thought. I was quick to reassure him.
"No, no, Dad, it's nothing like that. I'm fine, really. Let's go inside." Apparently I was a better liar than I thought, because Charlie led the way into the house, closing the door behind him. It took me a moment to work out that I should have been pretending to shiver or crossing my arms across my chest. Charlie looked at me rather oddly before shaking his head. He had learnt to brush off the less human reactions of mine.
"How's my favourite granddaughter!" Charlie said, turning his attention to Renesmee, who was delighted to see him. She pressed her hand against my cheek, imaging herself in Charlie's arms. It would worry Charlie if Renesmee spoke in front of him, and it would give him a heart attack if she used her usual form of communication. So she communicated with Edward, Jacob or I like normal. It didn't look like she was doing any more than touching our cheeks or our necks.
"Your only granddaughter," I said, my mood relaxing. I handed Renesmee over to Charlie, who made a perfect cradle- he was now an expert with holding Renesmee- with his arms. I could see that Renesmee was heavier in Charlie's arms now, though she was still feather light to me. Her growth spurt had slowed, but not enough for it to slip Charlie's notice.
"You know how much I love Nessie, but I hope you're not expecting another child anytime soon," Charlie said, his parent voice coming through. I knew he thought I was too young to look after a child, especially after just getting married. The scene was too similar to his own young adult days.
"Don't worry, Dad, there's no chance of that happening. Renesmee is more than enough," I explained, avoiding the detail that I couldn't have any more children.
"Glad to hear that," Charlie laughed, too distracted by Renesmee to say anymore. Jacob found his way through to the living room, cueing Charlie to invite us to sit down. Of course it was unnecessary, but it was easier to look human whilst sitting down; I still hadn't perfected my ungraceful walk. Every few seconds I had to remind myself to blink, or cross my legs, or brush my hair behind my ear. It didn't help that Edward was so much better at acting human than I was, mind you, he did have a century worth of practice.
"Is something going on at yours?" Charlie asked after a while. I didn't know what to reply. Luckily Edward was much better at responding than I was. Charlie barely noticed my hesitation.
"We have our friends from Alaska visiting right now. It's quite a full house," Edward laughed, just the right amount of humour in his voice. It was the truth, he just left out the part that our house wasn't made full by the rest of our family, but by another group of visitors. The rest of the morning went quickly. Charlie was so engaged with Renesmee he didn't notice my expression every time he asked about Alice or wanted to know what our plans for the holidays were. Thankfully Edward was able to cover those questions smoothly, squeezing my hand as my expression became one of pain.
The time flew quickly, and it wasn't long before Edward whispered into my ear that we needed to return home soon. Charlie insisted that we see each other soon, and I had to lie through my teeth as I promised a visit within the next few days, not knowing whether this would even be possible with more vampires arriving over the next week or so. Charlie was surprised that Jacob didn't stay to see Billy, who was planning to visit Charlie in the afternoon with Sue. As Edward, Jacob and I walked at a human pace to the car, I was certain my father knew something was up. He might not know what was wrong, exactly, but he knew there was something happening, something which had me in a state of terror. I would have to work on seeming happy, or at least normal, for Charlie's sake, for my daughter's sake.
The car ride home was silent. Renesmee sat in the back with Jacob, communicating with him in her special way. I wondered what she was telling him. Edward and Jacob all looked pretty relaxed hearing her thoughts, so she wasn't as worried as I feared. I stared out the window, watching the forest fly by, every leaf just as vivid clear as if I were stationary. No one made any move to break the science, though I could hear Jacob's movements. Wolves were more comfortable moving than still, unlike us. With a few blinks, the last of my contacts dissolved in my eyes.
For the next hour or so, things were slightly happier, more casual as the visiting vampires got to know each other. Peter and Charlotte were quite quiet people, but they answered every question of the Denali's in great detail. Edward sat silent and patient; he has heard it all before. The only time when he leaned forward to listen was when Peter mentioned Alice showing up and sending them here. She never made any promise to see them again, never said where she and Jasper were going, what they were doing. The only information we had of them was that they were in a hurry. So Alice had her own mission, or maybe she was just in a hurry to get as far away from the Volturi's place of arrival as possible. I guess it's something I will never know. The idea tore at my heart.
Jacob was out talking to Sam, rearranging the pack. From what it sounded like, Jacob wanted Quil, Embry, Seth and Leah to run with Sam. The packs needed to be united now more than ever, and Jacob would be spending as much time as he could with Renesmee, especially in a houseful of vampires. It was in his instincts to keep her away from danger, and stranger vampires constituted danger. Not that anyone would dream of harming Renesmee.
As time passed, I started focusing less on the conversations in the room and more on the sound of tires on the highway. After twenty four cars had passed, I heard the sound of an engine slowing in the distance. Every other vampire in the room froze into silence as a vehicle pulled off the highway and onto the Cullen's driveway. Edward was the first to break the silence.
"Time for the third round," Edward said to me quietly before addressing everyone. "This group shouldn't be too hard to convince of the truth, so we should have no problem staying in our current positions. Maybe it would be best if we keep Renesmee out of view for the first few minutes though. Jacob, you might want to go hide for a little bit." Everyone was in action with everyone's instructions. I waited around the corner in the dining room with Renesmee.
"Why should this group be easy to convince?" I asked Edward as the car outside got closer and closer to the end of the driveway.
"You'll find out in a few seconds," Edward replied just as three doors opened and closed below. I waited impatiently yet nervously as we prepared to tell the horror story for a third time.
To the reviewer who suggested I do the Denali clans reaction, this is covered in the book, so I don't think I will be able to cover it again. I will do some of the key reactions though. I would love to do a few chapters with Bella learning to fight and expand her shield, but it all depends on what chapter writes itself out in my head. Please review and tell me what you think!